Santa Marta Fossil Fuel Phase-Out

This episode goes inside the landmark Santa Marta conference, the first diplomatic gathering where 60 governments met not to debate whether fossil fuels must go, but how to phase them out. Host Herb Simmens speaks with environmental campaigner Tzeporah Berman, chair of the Fossil Fuel Non‑Proliferation Treaty Initiative, about why this meeting was historic and why it finally puts fossil fuel production – not just emissions – at the center of climate diplomacy.

This video was recorded on May 6th, 2026, and published on May 10th, 2026, and represents the opinions of the discussion participants.

Together with regular panelists Paul Beckwith and Dr. Peter Carter, the conversation explores what a planned fossil fuel phase‑out actually looks like: new financial architecture, debt relief for Global South producers, and treaty‑level rules to stop expansion while supporting a just transition for workers and communities. They discuss the push for “real zero” instead of net‑zero loopholes, the political power of the fossil fuel industry, and the growing split between countries that want binding commitments and those who prefer voluntary promises that protect their interests.

Throughout, Berman returns to a central theme: hope is not something we simply have, it is something we create together through action. From youth movements to faith communities and frontline nations, this episode shows how a separate diplomatic track on fossil fuel phase‑out is emerging – and what viewers can do to help build momentum toward the next conference and a fossil‑free future.

Links:

• Support Our Mission

• Fossil FuelTreaty

• Paris Agreement

• STAND.earth

• First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels

• Indigenous groups warn Amazon oil expansion tests fossil fuel phase-out coaltion

• Canada on Fire Again (CEF Video)

• Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative; SUVA Declaration

• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

• The Voyage Continues Tuvalu 2027 - The Second Conference for the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels

• Ottawa Treaty

• Chatham House Rule

• Santa Marta – Private Sector Orientative Summary Report (pdf)

• Bridgetown Initiative

• OECD

• OPEC

• Nationally Determined Contributions

• A Climate Advisor: Sir David King’s Journey (CEF Video)

• When the Forest Breathes – Suzanne Simard

• Climate Action Network

• Portugal readies draft bill to impose windfall tax on energy companies windfall tax on energy companies

• New report shows that Majority of Voters Want Norway to Cut Back on Oil Exploration

• Amsterdam bans public adverts for meat and fossil fuels

• Atmospheric CO2 hits record high as monitoring observatory faces funding cuts

• The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a plastic trash nightmare. It could also be part of a much bigger, hidden problem

Special Guest:

• Tzeporah Berman - is a veteran environmental campaigner who has been designing campaigns and shaping climate and energy policy in Canada and around the world for over 30 years. She is a founder and steering committee chair of the Fossil Fuel Non‑Proliferation Treaty Initiative, a global effort to create a companion agreement to the Paris Accord focused on a fair phase‑out of fossil fuel production and a just transition for workers and communities. She also serves as co‑founder and international program director of Stand.Earth (formerly ForestEthics), where she has led strategy on issues ranging from Amazon protection and shipping to pipelines, LNG, old‑growth forests, and safe cities.

Regular Panelists:

• Dr. Peter Carter - MD, Expert IPCC Reviewer and the director of the Climate Emergency Institute.

• Paul Beckwith - Climate Systems Scientist. Professor at the University of Ottawa’s Paleoclimatology Laboratory as well as at Carleton University

• Herb Simmens - Author, Co-founder of the Healthy Planet Action Coalition (HPAC), Climate Emergency Board Member and former college instructor.

Video Production:

• Charles Gregoire - Electrical Engineer, Webmaster and IT prime for FacingFuture.Earth & the Climate Emergency Forum; Climate Reality Leader

• Heidi Brault - Climate Reality Leader, BA(Psychology), Library & Information Technician Diploma - Video production and website assistant - Organizer and convener, Metadata technician, COP Team Lead for FacingFuture.Earth and the Climate Emergency Forum.

Attributions:

Background Music:

• Title: Through the City II
• Author: Crowander
• Source: crowander.com

Image and Video:

• Image and Video Attributions